DIANE

I must've been staring too obviously because his voice cut through my thoughts.

"Sure you're okay?" He glanced at me for a second before shifting his gaze back to the road ahead.

"Yes I am," I rushed out, hating how unsure the words sounded. "Just jet lag," I lied.

He squinted his eyes at me as if he could see through my facade. I slipped my fingertips between the seatbelt fastened around me, fisting them in my palms. Just anything to distract me from the fact that I was alone in this car with him.

We drove in silence, the only sounds coming from the soft music playing through his Bluetooth and the honking of cars outside.

I stared out through the window. New York was just as I remembered it. Busy roads, people going about their daily lives and the annoying traffic. But still, it was home.

A phone vibrated beside me, cutting through my thoughts. I turned at the sound. It was coming from his jacket.

I tried to reach for the phone but at the same time, he reached for it as well, his large palms on my smaller ones. I felt a chilling sensation at the contact. For a second, neither of us moved.

"Um...I was just trying to get your phone for you," I explained.

He lifted his hand from mine and nodded.

I pulled out the phone, but before I could hand it over to him, I caught sight of the caller ID. I instantly felt the color drain from my face. My chest felt tight like I couldn't get enough air no matter how hard I tried.

The name 'Kara' with a red heart emoji lit up the screen. It felt like someone had punched all the air right out of my lungs.

Who was Kara?

I didn't realize I had been staring at the screen for way too long until the call ended. In the second that followed, the phone started to ring again and the same name popped up.

Damon reached and took the phone from my hands, disconnecting the Bluetooth before pressing the phone to his ear.

"Kara," he breathed, his smile wide and genuine. My insides churned, my eyes stung as a feminine voice said something on the other line although I couldn't make out what she said.

"Yes Kara. We're still on for this weekend. I'll come see you," he replied to whatever the person on the other end of the line said, the smile never leaving his face.

That smile that could make any girl go weak in her knees. I'd always wanted to be the reason he smiled like that, but now it was directed at someone else, leaving me deeply hurt.

I knew this was crazy. I knew it'd be insane to say I felt heartbroken when we were never in a relationship to begin with, but that's exactly how I felt.

"Roses? Yes I sent them. Do you like them?" He asked, running his hands through his hair. She made him nervous? And he sent her flowers?

I couldn't tear my gaze from him. I watched his every action, how his smile reached his eyes, how he seemed so carefree and comfortable with whoever he was speaking to.

His girlfriend perhaps? Was she young?

Just the thought of him belonging to someone else shattered my heart into a thousand pieces.

I held back the tears that threatened to spill. I shouldn't be acting this way. I needed to make whatever this forbidden attraction I had to him go away.

Distance couldn't help me get rid of this. Four years away from him and nothing had changed. I was still pathetically in love with a man I could never have.

I blocked out the sound of their conversation, looking out through the windows till the roads began to get familiar.

The sun was about to set, casting an orange glow over the horizon. It was an incredible sight to behold.

I saw the house I grew up in come into view and a genuine smile replaced the fake one I'd been wearing.

The car came to a stop at the driveway. He ended the call and I felt his eyes on me.

"Sorry about that," he said, his voice different now compared to the warmth they were filled with when he spoke to whoever that was.

I forced a smile, fighting the urge to ask him who that was. "No problem."

"Welcome back home," his voice was warm but there was something else underneath. Something I couldn't quite place.

I unbuckled my seatbelt, my fingers fumbling with the mechanism. I needed to get out of this car. Away from him. Away from the cologne that now felt suffocating. Away from the reminder that I was a fool for ever thinking we could be something.

"Diane." I froze, my hand on the door handle.

"Thank you, Uncle Damon. For picking me up," I managed, not meeting his eyes.

Before he could respond, I pushed the door open and stepped out into the cool evening air, finally able to breathe.

He came down as well, helping me bring out my luggage.

"I can take it from here," I said, reaching for the handle of the luggage.

"Are you sure about that?" He raised his brow.

I barely had my emotions in check right now and each second I stayed with him after the phone call I just heard made me feel like a fool.

"Yes, Uncle Damon."

He didn't look convinced, but he let me take the luggage from him.

"Your father will be back tonight. I can wait for you to freshen up so we can go get dinner if-"

"I'm not hungry," I cut him off, my voice sounding harsh and I instantly hated myself for using that tone on him.

He was just trying to be nice and look after me but here I was acting like a brat.

"I'm sorry uncle Damon," I apologized. "I'm just so exhausted."

He nodded and I took that as my cue to drag my luggage into the house. I could still feel his eyes on me till I got to the door and inputted the pass code.

It was past six by now and I knew the maids would have been gone. I was glad to be alone right now.

I went up the stairs into my room. Everything was still as I left it. I abandoned the luggage by the door, plopping down on the soft mattress, the exhaustion finally kicking in.

I reached towards the bedside table, slipping my hand behind the small space between the table and the wall to reach for something.

I pulled it out and stared at it. It was a picture of me and Damon during my high school graduation. He stared at me with a wide smile on his face with his hands wrapped around my shoulder while I stared straight at the camera.

Back then, I'd thought that look in his eyes meant something, that perhaps he felt something for me. But I was mistaken.

I hugged the picture to my chest, laying back on the bed.

My eyes began to feel heavy.

'Roses? Yeah I sent them' his voice replayed in my head as I let a lone tear slip before exhaustion pulled me into a deep slumber.

DIANE

I slowly opened my eyes, adjusting them to the darkness of the room.

My muscles felt stiff as I tried to turn. I yawned while stretching my arms above my head.

My phone lit up with an instagram notification. The first thing I saw was the time. It was a few minutes to midnight. Holy shit! I overslept!

I stood up, trying to steady my wobbly feet as I made my way into the bathroom to take a much needed shower.

I caught my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were a bit red and puffy from crying myself to sleep earlier. I didn't know why that call hurt me this much. Regardless if he was in a relationship with someone else or not, the fact remained that we could never be together.

I'd rather cut my own tongue than let him know how I feel. I won't only be putting myself out there for more heartbreak, I'd also be disappointing my dad and that's the last thing I wanted to do.

I stripped out of my travel outfit, wrapped my hair into a messy bun and started by brushing my teeth before I stepped into the shower.

The warm water cascaded down my back, soothing my sore muscles and it felt a million times better.

When I was done, I wrapped my body in a pink towel and walked barefoot back into my room, switching on the lights.

I brought out a baby blue shorts and a pink tank top from my luggage and threw them on before taking my hair out of the bun and letting them fall loosely across my face.

My steps were quiet against the tiles as I exited my room, making my way downstairs. I paused in my tracks as I heard familiar deep laughter coming from downstairs.

My face broke into a wide smile as I ran down the flight of stairs towards his home office. I didn't bother knocking, instead I pushed the door open.

"Dad," the excitement was clearly evident in my tone as I ran into his arms as he sat behind his desk.

"Di," he said, hugging me back just as tight. "Oh I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too dad," I said against his neck, my eyes blurring as tears threatened to spill from them.

I didn't pay attention to whoever it was with him here till I broke away from his embrace, taking in his stressed and aging features.

"How have you been dad?" I asked, tucking my hair behind my ears.

"As agile as a cheetah," he said and laughed before it turned into a strained cough.

"Dad-" I rushed, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge just beside the shelf.

I uncapped it and handed it over to him to drink and that's when my eyes landed on him. Damon. For the first time since I stepped in here, I took in his presence. He was standing by the full length window that overlooked the city.

"You okay Richard?" He asked, a worried expression etched on his face as he stepped closer.

My dad raised up his thumb in acknowledgement as he took a sip from the water before clearing his throat.

"I'm fine," he said, his eyes not leaving Damon's and at the same time I turned to Damon, he was still staring at my dad as if they were having a sort of communication through their eyes.

"What's going on?" I asked, curious at how tense the atmosphere got.

"Nothing."

"Nothing." They both said in unison before they broke contact.

I looked between them. They were both avoiding my eyes.

I folded my arms across my chest. "You're both terrible liars."

Dad laughed but it sounded forced. "Just business talk kiddo. Nothing for you to worry about."

Business talk at midnight?

My eyes drifted back to Damon. He was looking at me now with an intense gaze, his eyes trailing over the little clothing I had on that barely reached mid-thigh.

I suddenly felt very self conscious, my heartbeat picking up. Just then, a voice in my head mocked me for still feeling this way around him when there was a possibility that he was seeing someone else.

Kara. The thought of her still stung like a fresh wound, creating a hollow feeling in my chest.

I knew that to him I was nothing more than his friend's daughter which made me his daughter too since his wife, aunt Emilia was unable to bear children.

He had always looked at me and cared for me like his daughter.

"How does it feel to be back home?" My dad said, changing the topic. The chair made a screeching sound as he pulled it back, rising to his feet and approaching where I stood.

"I'm so glad to be home," a genuine smile spread across my lips.

"And I'm glad to have you home kiddo." He said, pulling me into a brief hug. "You know, Damon and I were just talking," he said, clearing his throat. "You should start work at the company, learn the ropes of things as you'll be inheriting my share soon."

This was a nightmare. It had to be.

"What?!"

Dad laughed, thinking I'd be happy with this arrangement. "Damon has offered to put you through himself. You'll be working as his assistant for a while till you grasp the operations."

I turned to Damon, his jaw tightened, but he said nothing. His expression was unreadable, but something flickered in his eyes, something I couldn't quite place.

Dad looked between us, oblivious to the sudden tension. "It's perfect, really. Damon runs most of the day-to-day operations now. You couldn't learn from anyone better."

His assistant. Working under him. Seeing him every single day.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"I... I didn't know you two were business partners now," I managed, my voice sounding strangled even to my own ears.

"Made him partner last year," Dad said proudly, clapping Damon on the shoulder.

"Best decision I ever made. The company's never been stronger."

Partner. Of course they were partners.

"When do I start?" The words came out before I could stop them, a part of me needing to know just how much torture I'd signed up for.

"Monday," Damon said, his voice low. His eyes were still on me, searching for something. "If that works for you."

'No. Nothing about this works for me.' I wanted to say but I bit on my lower lip to avoid saying anything.

"This Monday?" I asked. I barely just got back and everything is spiraling out of control already. "Like after dad's birthday this weekend?" I raised my brows.

Damon nodded, his eyes holding mine.

"And for how long?"

"Well that depends on how fast you learn. Could be a couple of months. Could be a year or even two," Dad said, a satisfied grin on his face.

I nodded. I knew this day was going to come sooner or later but I didn't expect to still be feeling this way towards Damon when it finally came.

Now not only was I shamelessly in love with my dad's best friend, I had to fight off the feeling whenever I was close to him.

For a year.

Maybe two.

I was so screwed.

DIANE

A loud ringing snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Excuse me, I have to take this," Damon said, excusing himself as he left the room.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding while rocking against my heels with my arms folded across my chest.

Dad looked at me with a wide smile spread across his lips as he leaned against the edge of the desk.

"So Paris huh?" He leaned forward, his eyes twinkling. "Four years in the city of love and you come back single? What happened? Did you forget how to flirt, or were French men just not cutting it?"

"Dad!" I felt my face heat up.

"What? I'm just saying, I was expecting at least one heartbroken Frenchman following you home, dramatically declaring his love in broken English," he said with a little chuckle at the end.

I couldn't help the laughter that escaped my lips. I pulled out one of the chairs in front of the desk and sat down. "That's not how real life works, you know?"

"An old man can only dream," he said laughing.

I cleared my throat. "But seriously, Dad, about this whole assistant thing..."

"Why? You don't want to do it?" He raised his brow.

"No no... I mean yes. Yes, I do. I was just wondering if it was a good idea."

"Of course it is. That man built an empire before he was in his mid-twenties. He's in the best place to teach you all you know about running a company," he reassured, a wide smile on his lips.

But that was the least of my burdens. If it were a different person, I wouldn't have a problem working as their assistant for the time being. But when it came to Damon Pierce, this was all shades of wrong.

I nodded, not wanting to dwell on the matter any longer. I had to do what needed to be done and hopefully I'd be able to get through this unscathed.

Dad smiled at me again, clearly satisfied that I'd agreed. "You'll do fine sweetheart. Damon's tough but he's fair. You'll learn faster than you think."

"Yeah," I muttered, trying to sound convinced.

He checked his watch and sighed. "It's getting late. You should get some rest. The event planners will be here in the morning to get started on the decorations."

"Alright, Dad," I said with a little yawn. "Good night, Dad."

I stood up and hugged him before leaving his home office and shutting the door quietly.

The place was so dim that I had to squint my eyes to be able to see where I was going when...

Thud!

I collided headfirst with a hard surface, causing me to stumble backwards while holding my forehead.

"Shit," I murmured as the pain surged through me.

"Are you okay?" a deep voice resonated right in front of me.

Scratch that. That wasn't any wall, that was a hard chest. Damon Pierce's.

He held on to my arm as I stumbled, catching me just before I hit the ground. His hands were warm against my skin.

"Yes...I'm–I'm fine...," I managed to get out amidst the dizziness.

He didn't let go immediately. His grip was firm and his arm snaked around my waist to steady me, his fingers brushing against the bare skin at my back where my top had ridden up.

The touch sent a hot shiver right through me.

"You should be more careful," he said, his warm breath fanning my face.

My knees buckled at the sensation of him this close to me with his arms around me.

Just one touch from Damon Pierce had reminded me exactly why leaving New York hadn't been enough to forget him.

This was bad. So so bad.

I stepped back from his hold, trying to put some reasonable distance between us.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't see properly." My voice was barely above a whisper, still clearly affected by the effect his touch had on me.

" I-I should go. Good night, Uncle Damon," I rushed out and headed towards the staircase, trying to get away from him as fast as I possibly could.

"Diane." I didn't get too far when I heard him call out my name.

I halted in my steps, hearing the soft echo of his footsteps against the tiles as he approached me.

I slowly turned to face him, my mind doing a whole marathon.

He closed the distance between us. For a second, I thought he was going to say something else, but instead, he pulled his phone from his pocket and held it out to me.

"Put your number in," he said, his tone was calm and casual. "For work," he added.

I hesitated for a second before taking it. The tips of my fingers brushed against his, just slightly, but it was enough to make my stomach flip.

God, why did he always have that effect on me?

I looked down, pretending to focus on the screen while typing in my number. My hands felt a little shaky. I hit save and handed the phone back, careful not to meet his eyes.

He took the phone and tucked it away into his suit jacket.

"Good night, Diane," he said, his voice quiet but deep.

"Good night," I murmured, forcing a small smile before turning toward the stairs.

I could feel his gaze on me as I walked away. The moment I got to my room, I shut the door and sat down on my bed, trying to slow down my breathing.

After a couple of minutes, I heard the low hum of his car before he drove away.

If I was going to survive working with him then I desperately needed to get my emotions in check.